Great Western Coffee Shop

Someone's been hit by a train at Southall. Prepare for severe delays for the Friday rush hour.

From what I can gather from Twitter, it looks like the OHLE was switched off while the incident was dealt with (all lines now appear to be back open) but after it was restored there was "an issue with an electric train failing to take power". From the Open Train Times map the train affected appears to be 1T60, the 14.10 HeX from PAD to Heathrow T5, which at the moment (16.00) appears to be still stationary on the DM to the east of Southall with 1B42, the 14.15 from PAD to CDF, stuck behind it.

17:18 and 17:57 out of Paddington cancelled.

Cotswold line services appear to have been devastated.

16.30 update:

1B42 appears to have been reversed to EAL and is currently passing Maidenhead running almost 2 hours late

1T60 is STILL there and it would appear that a rather disgruntled David Miliband (the former Labour politician and brother of Ed) is on board:

https://twitter.com/DMiliband/status/1007644559491280896 (https://twitter.com/DMiliband/status/1007644559491280896)


EDIT: 1T60 now moving forwards on the Open Train Times map.

The person involved survived and was taken to hospital by ambulance. 

That's good to hear...…………….tonight's journey for me...……..White City/Oxford Circus/Waterloo/Reading/Taplow...……….just shy of 3 hours, but at least it didn't end in hospital.

So glad I didn't chance Paddington I hear it was dreadful.

Any contingency planning for what is sadly a regular occurrence? None observable.

And missed flights for hundreds because I bet T4L didn't arrange alternatives to get folks to Heathrow.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southall_railway_station#Accidents_and_incidents

In 2007, analysis by First Great Western after several deaths at Southall station found that a third of the suicides on English and Welsh railways occurred on the line between Slough and Paddington.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/abused-asian-women-behind-soaring-toll-of-railway-suicides-6614996.html

https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/the-suicide-station/236122

The Suicide Station

ASIAN WOMEN: UK SUICIDES

Flawed marital priorities fuel a thickening tragedy among young brides in Southall

Circle Of Death

* Suicide among South Asian women in Britain is three times that of the national average
Of 240 suicides on rail tracks in Britain last year, 80 were Southall women, mostly Sikhs

* The victims typically come from Punjab, are educated, and married off to men who lack similar educational or professional backgrounds

*Brides are trapped into domestic slavery, suffer abuse and have no one to help them

====

Whilst it may be statistically likely that yesterday's "person hit by train" was a suicide attempt, there is no confirmation of this and we should be very careful to keep the discussion of the very real and very important general issues away from the specifics of yesterday's case.    I am very much aware of wrong conclusions being made in the past, which have been deeply hurtful to the families of the people involved - or indeed (in this case, one hopes) to the person involved him/herself.

If anyone is personally involved, or wishes for further general information, see our thread at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6526.0  There is a great deal of support and information available and our thread will help you find what you need.

I take it you mean Ramadan?

Not sure of the connection between that and a possible railway suicide...…...I'm not aware of a connotation between religious festivals and suicide?  (.......although having said that, some of my family can be hard work at Christmas)

In any case Southall is a predominantly Sikh area, wish the average Sikh "Eid Mubarak" and you may get a nasty surprise.

Yes there is contingency planning Network Rail and BTP know exactly what to do.

I am sure GWR also have a plan. However, what planning do you have in mind that could provide a replacement for the capacity of the whole route out of Paddington in the rush hour at no notice whatsoever? 

Article about volunteer Rail Pastors:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-berkshire-44468015/the-volunteers-saving-lives-on-the-railways

Several times I've seen a trio of rail pastors at Tilehurst Station and I confess to wondering how often they have cause to intervene. However ... a couple of months ago on a day of light rain, a friend and I were sheltering at the bottom of the footbridge steps with the trio (it's usually the same three) when I noticed a young woman sitting out in the open on a bench. (The waiting room was locked.) A bit odd, I thought, perhaps she finds the drizzle refreshing. Our train came in and the five of us boarded it. I looked out of the door and noticed the woman was still sitting there: perhaps she was waiting for someone who wasn't on that particular train, but it was half-an-hour until the next...

As the doors closed, I noticed that two at least of the pastors had noticed her and had got off to check that she was OK.

Marlburian

"See it, Say it, Sorted".  It's a horrid phrase but it's a reminder that we can all be the ears and eyes that look out for our fellow human beings across the railway network. And a reminder to get professional help where you know (or think with reasonable cause) it may be needed.

Staff are spread thinly - some argue too thinly. That applies to the specialists such as the  BTP (British Transport Police) and services such as rail pastors - others who are around (rail staff, volunteers in station friends groups, professionals in the caring and emergency businesses even off duty, and Joe Public too) are valuable eyes and ears putting situations in touch with solvers or potential solvers.

Looking back up, this is an old "person hit by train" thread, with the person hit being taken to hospital by ambulance.  But this "see it, say it, sorted" goes far wider.  Look out for the person who's sitting in the corner having been taken ill, the young or otherwise vulnerable person who's stranded and needs help, the parcel or package that's a potential danger to others or need reuniting with its owner, the damaged infrastructure that's danger to people or trains.   

Even where someone is not ill, is not vulnerable, and is not a danger to themselves or others, so much good can be done from as little as a friendly word or two from staff or from volunteers who are clearly identifiable; that applies so much at the smaller, unstaffed stations.  A confirmation of train times,  pointing out the TVM (or telling people to buy from the conductor if there isn't one or it doesn't take cash), directions to the town centre for first time visitors.  And these are daily or hourly helpful elements - far, far more commonplace than the more dramatic examples in previous paragraphs.